Extracting

ABSTRACT

An extractor including a rigid container, a cover overlying the container and having an inner surface defining an imperforate annular region, and a vertically movable guard mounted exterior of the container.

United States Patent 1191 Olliges, Sr..

[ 1 EXTRACTING [75] Inventor: James R. Olliges, Sr., River Grove,

Ill.

[73] Assignee: A-T-O lnc., Willoughby, Ohio 122 Filed: July 10, 1972' [2]] Appl. No: 270,050

[52] US. Cl. 68/242, 68/21 [51] Int. Cl. D06f 47/06 [58] Field of Search 68/242, 21

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,336,428 12/1943 Watson 68/242 Dec. 18, 1973 2,752,770 7/l956 Slate et a]. 68/2l Primary Examiner-william I. Price A!t0rneyW. R. Hulbert [5 7] ABSTRACT An extractor including a rigid container, a cover overlying the container and having an inner surface defining an imperforate annular region, and a vertically movable guard mounted exterior of the container.

10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures prior art apparatus.

1. EXTRACTING This invention relates to compression extractors, and more particularly to flexible bag type extractors adapted to extract water from laundry by the application of hydraulic pressure.

It is a principal object of the pesent invention to provide such apparatus of improved construction such that the lifetime of the flexible bag is increased and the ease and safety of operation is improved.

In one aspect the invention includes, in laundry apparatus for extracting liquid from clothes by expressing water therefrom using fluid pressure and comprising a rigid container having an upper edge, a flexible fluidimpervious member within the container and sealed to the container around the entire periphery thereof in the region of that upper edge, means for introducing fluid under pressure into the space between the rigidcontainer and the flexible member, and a cover for the rigid container having a multiplicity of apertures in the lower surface thereof, that improvement wherein the cover lower surface includes a smooth, imperforate peripheral annular region having a width of at least 10 percent of the minimum dimension across the cover 'inner surface. In preferred forms of this aspect of the invention, the container and the cover are circular in cross-section, the cover inner surface is concave and the annular region mentioned above has a with of about one-third of the radius of the inner surface.

In'a second aspect the invention features, in laundry apparatus for extracting liquid from wet cloth items by expressing water therefrom using fluid pressure and comprising a rigid container for receiving the wet items, means within the container for applying pressure against the wet items in an upward direction, a cover having a multiplicity of apertures therethrough, and a cover locking ring mounted for cover-engaging rotational motion around the periphery of the cover, guard means comprising a barrier structure mounted exterior of the ring for vertical movement with respect to the ring between a first position below the top of the ring and a second position in which a portion of the barrier structure is elevated above the ring, and means effective to cause motion of the barrier structure between the first and second positions.

Preferred embodiments, of course, may include both aspects.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description of a particular preferred embodiment taken together with the accompanying drawingsthereof. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of apparatus according to the invention with the cover in an open position;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation ofthe apparatus of 'FIG.- 1 with the cover in a closed position and with guard structure in a raisedposition about the periphery of the apparatus in the region of the cover;

FIG. 3 is a partially broken away side elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 2 with the guard structure omitted 'for clarity;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 with the apparatus in operation to express water from clothes within the extractor;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the cover of the apparatus ofFlG 3; and,

FIG. 6 is a partially broken away side elevation, o

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, apparatus constructed according to the invention includes a rigid container 10 of circular cross-section surrounded by a cylindrical outer housing 12 which is somewhat spaced from the container 10 to provide an annular gap 11 between the container and the housing. A flexible bag 14 isdisposed within the container 10 and is secured around the entire periphery of the container and the bag by a circular clamp 16 disposed around the upper edge 18 of the container 10. A pipe 20 leads from the bottom of container 10 through the outer housing 12 to an exterior source of fluid. An annular wall 22 is provided between container 10 and housing 12 to provide a water-tight annular volume 23 above the wall 22. Pipe 24 communicates with annular volume 23 through housing 12.

A domed cover 26 having an outer annular rim portion 27 surrounding a domed central portion is attached to a lever arm 28 mounted for swinging movement about axis 30, on a structure 32 supported by the housing 12. Rim portion 27 overlies the upper annular edges of housing 12 and container 10, and gap 11 therebetween. Domed central portion 25 of cover 26 has a diameter equal to that of and overlies container 10. As shown central portion 25 is foraminous; about 350 apertures 34, relatively spaced in concentric rings, extend upwardly from its inner surface 35 through the cover. A shield 36 is mounted over and spaced apart from the upper surface 38 of the cover, overlying all of apertures 34 and defining a chamber 37 between upper surface 38 and the shield. Lever arm 28 is rigidly secured to leg 40 which is pivotally connected at its opposite ends to axis 30 and the end 42 of hydraulic piston 44 which extends from cylinder 46. The cylinder 46 is mounted upon a'base 48 which is attached to the housing 12.

A conventional cover locking ring 50 is mounted on the housing 12 for rotational motion with respect to the housing and cover. The ring 50 is rotatable between first and second positions and in one of those positions is operative in'a fashion well known in the art, to engage lugs 51 on cover 26 and lock the cover securely in its closed orientation. The ring v50 is hollow to provide channel 52 which communicates with the chamber 37 and annular volume 23.

As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus is provided to the barrier 56. The cylinders 64 are fed by fluid supply lines (not shown) and are rigidly secured to a supporting platform 66, itself secured to the housing 12. In the first position (FIG. 1), barrier screen 56 is below, with its upper edge closely adjacent, the top of ring 50. In the second position (FIG. 2), the upper twothirds of the barrier is spaced above ring 50, and the lower edge 57 of the screen is slightly below the top of ring 50.

FIG. 5 illustrates the disposition of apertures 34 in the domed central'portion 25 of cover 26. The overall diameter of cover 26 is about 42 inches; the diameter B of the domed central portion 25 is 35 inches. As shown, all of apertures 34 are disposed in the central area of domed central portion 25, within a circle 67 having a radius C of about 12 inches. Central portion 25 thus includes an annular peripheral region 68, between apertures 34 and rim portion 27, having a width D of about 5 /2 inches and presenting a smooth imperforate downwardly facing surface.

FIG. 6 is analogous to FIGS. 1 and 2 and illustrates a typical prior art extractor. Items in FIG. 6 similar to those in FIGS. 1-5 have been given the same numerical designation, with the differentiating sufflx a" added thereto. As shown, the prior art extractor 10a of FIG. 6 includes apertures 34a disposed throughout substantialy the entire area of inner surface 35a of the domes central portion 25a of cover 26a. Typically, where the diameter of central portion 25a is about 35 inches, the total number of apertures 34a is about 1200, the apertures 34a extend into peripheral region 68a, and the outermost apertures define a circle having a radius of about 16 inches.

Additionally, the prior art extractor does not include any guard means corresponding to guard means 54 of the extractor of FIGS. 1-5; and includes, in lieu of the apparatus providing the simple swinging action of cover 26 illustrates in FIGS. 1-4, a cover operating mechanism 70 which provides for the vertical raising of the cover 26a upon actuation of a piston 72 and the subsequent horizontal swinging of the raised cover to provide access to the interior of container 10a.

The operation of apparatus constructed according to the invention may be described with reference to FIGS. 1-4. As shown in FIG. 1, the cover 26 is swung open to provide convenient access to the interior of container l0 (and flexible bag 14) and the barrier 56 is in its lower or first position. With this status of the apparatus, a porous fabric bag 74 containing wet clothes may be lowered into the apparatus (preferably mechanically) and an operator may easily reach over the ring 50 and barrier 56 to assist in positioning bag 74 in container l0. Appropriate conventional controls (not shown) are then employed to actuate hydraulic piston 44 so that it is forced upward (toward the position shown in FIG. 2) and causes resultant swinging motion of cover 26 to the closed configuration shown in FIG. 2. Simultaneously, fluid is supplied under pressure to cylinders 64 causing the barrier 56 to move from its first or lower position (shown in FIG. 1) to its second or raised position (shown in FIG. 2) in which the top edge 55 of the barrier 56 is above, and its lower edge 57 is somewhat below, the upper surface of the ring 50. In this position, shown in FIG. 2, the barrier 56 is effective to prevent the operator, or others in the area, from resting their hands, tools, etc., upon the ring 50 which could he very dangerous during the operation of the ring 50 as it rotates to lock the cover 26 in place atop the container 10. The actual rotation of the ring 50 to accomplish such locking, in a manner well known in the art, is then initiated.

FIG. 3 illustrates the configuration (with the guard means 54 removed for clarity of illustration) after the cover 26 has been locked in place by the ring 50. The bag of clothes 74 is now contained between flexible bag 14 and cover 26. As shown in FIG.4, fluid is then introduced under pressure through pipe 20 into the space between flexible bag 14 and rigid container 10. The flexible bag 14 is thus forced upwardly and compresses the bag 74, and the clothes within, against cover 26.

Water is thereby expressed which flows through the apertures 34 in cover 26 into chamber 37, and thence downwardly through chamber 37 and into channel 52 in the hollow ring 50. The channel 52 communicates with the volume 23 so that the water flows into that volume, from which it may be removed through pipe 24.

In the use of prior art extractors, it was found that the flexible bag 14a had an undesirably short serviceable lifetime and that breakdown of the bag 14a usually oc curred adjacent its peripheral edge where it was secured in the clamp 160. While the reason for deterioration of the bag at this location was not entirely understood, it was thought the bending of the bag 14a about clamp 16 during each operating cycle of the apparatus was the major, or even sole, cause of such deterioration. It was surprising to discover that with the provision ofa smooth imperforate annular peripheral region on the inner surface of cover 26, which region extended inwardly toward the center of cover 26 substantially farther than any analogous region in prior art covers 26a, a substantial-increase in serviceable lifetime of the flexible bag 14 was achieved. In retrospect appears that the prior rapid deterioration of the flexible bags 14 was not due to bending. Rather, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, it seems that, upon introduction of fluid under pressure beneath the flexible bag, a substantial area of the bag came into direct contact with the inner cover surface. With the prior art arrangement of FIG. 6, the upward pressure against the bag in the peripheral region 68a of the cover tended to force the flexible material of the bag 14a into the outermost apertures 34a of the cover 26a, causing great wear. As best seen in FIG. 4, the peripheral portion of the bag 14 may bear against a smooth imperforate peripheral annular surface 68 provided according to the present invention without damage to the bag. It has been found that the width of the annular surface should be about 20 percent or more of the radius of the central portion of cover to safeguard the flexible material. The preferred width, disupper end, means for introducing fluid under pressure into the space between said container and said flexible member, a cover for said container having a multiplicity of apertures extending upwardly from the inner surface thereof, and a cover locking ring mounted for cover-engaging rotational movement around the periphery of said cover, guard means comprising a barrier structure mounted exterior of said ring for vertical movement with respect to said ring between a first position in which said barrier is generally below the top of said ring and a second position in which a major portion'of said barrier structure is elevated above said ring, and actuating means effective to cause movement of said barrier structure between said first and second positions.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cover is movable between a first closed position overlying and sealingly engaging said upper end of said container and a second open position spaced from said upper end. and said actuating means is responsive to movement of said cover for positioning said barrier structure in said first position when said cover is in said second open po sition and in said second position when said cover is in said first closed position.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said barrier partially surrounds said apparatus, and the lower edge of said barrier is spaced below the top of said ring when said barrier is in said second position.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said inner cover surface overlies said container when said cover is in said first closed position, and said inner cover surface includes a smooth and imperforate annular region having a width of not less than of the minimum dimension across said inner cover surface.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said inner cover surface is concave, said container and said inner cover surface arecircular in cross-section, and said annular region has a width of about one-third the radius of said inner cover surface.

6.. in laundry apparatus for extracting liquid from clothes by pressure, said apparatus comprising a rigid container having an open upper end, a flexible fluid- 10% of the minimum dimension across said inner coversurface.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said inner cover surface is concave. I

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said container and said inner cover surface are circular in crosssection and said annular region has a width of not less than 20% of the radius of said inner cover surface.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said width is about one-third of said radius. I

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said inner 

1. In laundry apparatus for extracting liquid from laundry by pressure, said apparatus comprising a container having an open upper end, a flexible-fluid impervious bag within said rigid container and sealed thereto around the periphery thereof in the region of said upper end, means for introducing fluid under pressure into the space between said container and said flexible member, a cover for said container having a multiplicity of apertures extending upwardly from the inner surface thereof, and a cover locking ring mounted for cover-engaging rotational movement around the periphery of said cover, guard means comprising a barrier structure mounted exterior of said ring for vertical movement with respect to said ring between a first position in which said barrier is generally below the top of said ring and a second position in which a major portion of said barrier structure is elevated above said ring, and actuating means effective to cause movement of said barrier structure between said first and second positions.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cover is movable between a first closed position overlying and sealingly engaging said upper end of said container and a second open position spaced from said upper end, and said actuating means is responsive to movement of said cover for positioning said barrier structure in said first position when said cover is in said second open position and in said second position when said cover is in said first closed position.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said barrier partially surrounds said apparatus, and the lower edge of said barrier is spaced below the top of said ring when said barrier is in said second position.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said inner cover surface overlies said container when said cover is in said first closed position, and said inner cover surface includes a smooth and imperforate annular region having a width of not less than 10% of the minimum dimension across said inner cover surface.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said inner cover surface is concave, said container and said inner cover surface are circular in cross-section, and said annular region has a width of about one-third the radius of said inner cover surface.
 6. In laundry apparatus for extracting liquid from clothes by pressure, said apparatus comprising a rigid container having an open upper end, a flexible fluid-impervious bag within said rigid container and sealed thereto around the periphery thereof in the region of said upper edge; means for introducing fluid under pressure iNto the space between said rigid container and said flexible member, and a cover for said rigid container, said cover having an inner cover surface adapted for overlying said container, a rim surrounding said inner cover surface, and multiplicity of apertures extending upwardly from said inner cover surface, that improvement wherein said inner cover surface includes a smooth and imperforate peripheral annular region within said rim, said region having a width not less than 10% of the minimum dimension across said inner cover surface.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said inner cover surface is concave.
 8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said container and said inner cover surface are circular in cross-section and said annular region has a width of not less than 20% of the radius of said inner cover surface.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said width is about one-third of said radius.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said inner cover surface is concave. 